San Diego Padres to interview Albert Pujols for manager opening
Albert Pujols played 22 years in the Major Leagues. By the time he was finished, he’d become the fourth person ever to slug 700 home runs, and only Hank Aaron had more runs batted in. He will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2028.
He might have to take a few days away from the Padres to attend the induction ceremony.
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San Diego has been granted permission to interview Pujols for their open managerial position, a meeting that’s expected to come this week. Pujols has already interviewed for the Angels job, but the two sides could not come to an agreement. The man known as “El Hombre” is certainly an intriguing candidate because of his wealth of experience and lack of experience.
His resume as a hitter is unmatched. Pujols went to 11 All-Star Games, was named National League Most Valuable Player three times, won a pair of World Series titles and is one of just 19 position players in history to finish with a career WAR (wins above replacement) over 100.
His resume as a coach, however, is sparse. Pujols has never held a coaching position with any affiliated team. His only managerial experience came with the Dominican winter ball team Leones del Escogido, which he led to a championship in January. He’s also been chosen to manage the Dominican Republic team in next year’s World Baseball Classic.
Pujols is one of the world’s most revered ballplayers, so he would immediately have the buy-in from Padres superstars like Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., an important element for whoever San Diego chooses as their next manager. The unknown is how he handles every day strategy decisions like bullpen usage and lineup construction. Those are questions the Friars hope to answer when they sit him down face to face.
The Friars are expected to speak with multiple candidates and are rumored to have interest in Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, former Padres catcher Nick Hundley and current San Diego special assistant A.J. Ellis, among others.
